


Found

by mothicalcreatures (laelreenia)



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Gen, In which Genesis and Angeal don't join SOLDIER, Loveless - Freeform, M/M, Theater AU, implied child neglect, of a sort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-14 19:33:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18058679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laelreenia/pseuds/mothicalcreatures
Summary: In which Sephiroth goes to see a production of Loveless and re-meets someone he never expected to see again.orWhat if Genesis's interest in Loveless had led to him having a career in theater instead of joining SOLDIER?





	Found

**Author's Note:**

> This is 100% the result of the fact that I've been listening to Pippin on repeat for two days straight. I apologize for nothing, except any typos.
> 
> Also it's not necessary to know this for the fic, but the production of Loveless I'm imagining for this, is one that is a self aware/meta musical of the kind that Pippin is.

Sephiroth didn’t much like dealing with fan mail. He felt guilty disregarding it, but there was always so much to get through and he knew he wasn’t even getting all of it. The people in charge of his PR always screened and removed things. For example, he rarely ever saw invitations to events. Everyone wanted him for something and he certainly couldn’t accept everything. Ultimately, it was up to Shinra to decide what events he could make appearances at. It mostly boiled down to what appearances would make the company look good.

Sometimes, however, his PR team would send things through to him that they typically wouldn’t because they thought he’d find it interesting. If someone sent him a physical gift with their letter, Sephiroth was much more likely to actually see it.

The letter Sephiroth held now was just that. The little label the PR people had stuck on the front said that it was a theater ticket. Sephiroth sighed, probably Loveless, he thought. He’d seen it once before when a visiting dignitary had invited him out to talk politics over dinner. It had been interesting, but not something he wanted to see twice. Regardless, he opened the envelope to at least see if it might be something else.

It was Loveless, he realized as he extracted the letter and ticket from the envelope, but the title on the ticket specifically said “Loveless: The Musical.” If Sephiroth did end up going, it certainly would be a different experience from the last time.

Setting the ticket down on his desk Sephiroth opened the letter that accompanied it.

 

_Dear Sephiroth,_

 

_My name is Genesis Rhapsodos. Apparently we’ve met._

 

Sephiroth couldn't help but grimace. Normally, when he got a letter from someone saying that they'd met he hated it, because he couldn't possibly remember every person who'd ever stopped him on the street, which was usually what the person meant by ‘we’ve met.’ But the wording him gave him pause, so he tried to hold out on passing judgement until he'd finished the letter.

 

_My memories of this encounter are incomplete, obviously, but according to my parents we met at the history museum in sector three when we were children. I do remember insisting to my parents that I wanted to get a book from the gift shop for someone else, because they’d seemed sad that they hadn’t been allowed to get it, but I’d forgotten, it seems, just who I’d met. Hardly surprised, us being children and all._

 

Sephiroth could barely believe what he was reading and he had to stop for a moment to collect himself. Genesis may have forgotten the person he’d given the book to, but Sephiroth certainly hadn’t forgotten Genesis.Not that Sephiroth had known Genesis’s name then.

It had quite possibly been the kindest thing anyone had ever done for him. When he had been about eight years old, he'd been taken to see a special exhibit on a historic peoples of the continent as an educational outing. On the way out of the exhibit, they had walked through the gift shop and a book on the historic art of the people had caught Sephiroth’s eye. When he’d asked if he might be able to get the book, as he would like to learn more about the group the exhibit had shown (a not unreasonable request, young him had thought, considering it was educational), he had been met with a very vehement no.

Just after they had left the museum, a young redheaded child had run up to Sephiroth and shoved the book into his hands. Sephiroth didn’t think their interaction had been particularly long after that, but he had a distinct memory of the child, that he now knew to be Genesis, telling him he had looked sad. Over a decade later, Sephiroth still had that book. It was absolutely worn to pieces from having been read over and over. It had been, and still was, his most cherished possession.

He swallowed heavily and returned to reading the letter.

 

_Anyway, I live in Midgar now, working as an actor and recently attained my first non-ensemble role in the upcoming Loveless musical. I’m in the role of the narrator, the musical is a much more expansiveadaptation than the current stage play. It’s very fun._

_I know you’re very busy and may not even be around, but if you are available and at all care to, I have enclosed a ticket to the opening night of the musical._

 

Sephiroth immediately grabbed the ticket from his desk to check the date on it. He’d only just gotten back from a tour in Wutai a week ago, so there was a decent chance he had missed the opening night. If he had, he was definitely going to have to get another ticket. As luck would have it, the date and time on the ticket was that night; he hadn’t missed it, but he was going to have to head out soon.

 

 _Please don’t worry if you can’t make it, but I do hope to see you there._  

_Yours Truly,_

_Genesis Rhapsodos_

 

Several hours later, saw Sephiroth at the theater. Alone. He’d never actually been to the theater alone, he’d always been in the company of someone else. There had never been any reason for him to just go to the theater for fun and he wasn’t exactly sure what he was supposed to do with himself. Drifting towards a table where he saw they were selling flowers, he realized that they were specifically flowers to be sent back to the actors. Checking his watch to make sure he had the time, (he did), Sephiroth stopped to buy a bouquet to send to Genesis. It seemed the most appropriate thing to do. An easy way to say thank you, both for inviting him and for the book all those years ago. He chose a bouquet that had red roses in it, mostly because when he’d looked up Genesis and the musical before he’d left his apartment Genesis always seemed to be in red.

There wasn’t a lot of room on the card that went with the flowers.So he simply wrote.

_I do remember you. I still have the book you gave me. Thank you. I’m looking forward to the show. - Sephiroth_

 

* * *

 

Genesis was going to die. He was going to expire on the spot. Sephiroth actually showed up. Not only did he show up, but he _remembered them meeting as children_ and had the gall, the absolute nerve, to send him _flowers._

Genesis was draped dramatically over his dressing room table. “This it Angeal, this is how I die.”

Angeal sighed. “Genesis, you have to be onstage for the show to start in five minutes, you _cannot_ do this right now.”

“I know…” Genesis groaned and forced himself up. “I just… he couldn’t have sent the flowers at intermission?”

“You’d be just as pressed for time during intermission. Maybe, you can use intermission to send him a note back, direct him to the stage door after the show or something.”

“Traitor,” Genesis muttered. “But that is a good idea.”

He made a production of making sure his make up and costume was in order before sweeping out of the room with Angeal following at his heels.

 

Genesis caught his first glimpse of Sephiroth in the audience barely a quarter of the way into act one, and it was a _struggle_ not to keep glancing at the man. Sure it was part of his role to interact with the audience, but that was the entire audience, not one person. By the time he’d sent off a note to Sephiroth, and thank Shiva Genesis had gotten him a box seat, during intermission, Genesis had calmed down considerably and it was much easier to let himself just get swept up in the energy of the show during act two.

However, between the time the curtain went down and Genesis making his way to the stage door, he’d gone back to vibrating from nerves.

“Why is meeting Sephiroth so much more anxiety inducing than being on stage has ever been?”

“Because you’ve always been a slut for attention, but this is meeting a man you’ve had a crush on for years, who remembers you from your chance encounter as children and sent you flowers,” Angeal said.

“That was rhetorical, and my earlier statement that you are a traitor still stands.” 

“You still love me.”

“Don’t test me.” 

Angeal just laughed.

 

Sephiroth was standing off to the side, behind all the other people at the stage door, when Genesis and Angeal emerged. Luckily, or unluckily really depending on how you saw it, it was pretty easy for Genesis to get through the crowd to meet Sephiroth as more people were interested in getting the autographs of the leading actors. One day Genesis would get a lead role.

Sephiroth straightened up some when he saw Genesis approaching and Genesis couldn’t help but grin.

“I’m so glad you made it,” Genesis said. “I honestly, didn’t think you would. You’ve never struck me as the kind of person who takes people up on invitations you get as fan mail.”

“I don’t usually,” Sephiroth said. “But most invitations I get are from politicians and other incredibly dull people. And I’m very glad I made it as well, I very nearly didn’t. I only got your letter this afternoon.”

Genesis laughed. “That’s perfect. Did you enjoy the show?”

“I did,” Sephiroth said. “I found it much more engaging than the last version I saw.”

“ _Wonderful._ ” Genesis couldn’t help but feel viscerally proud of that. “It’s a much more thorough adaptation than the play.”

“You did mention that in your letter,” Sephiroth said. “I have to admit, I’m unfamiliar the book, but I did notice it was a much more expanded story than what I’d seen previously.”

“Loveless was originally a poem in five acts. The play has been adapted from the second and third acts of the poem. Our production encompasses the prologue and all four remaining acts.”

Sephiroth nodded. “An ambitious undertaking, but one for the better I think.”

Genesis felt like he was walking on air. He hadn’t really expected Sephiroth to be so… nice, honestly, given the way he acted during interviews. “I- I have to ask, do you really remember me giving you that book?”

“Yes, I… I don’t really know how to convey just how much that meant to me as a child. I had no friends growing up, the people who raised me had little interest in what I wanted outside of my education. So that book, it was something I had that was just what I wanted.”

That sounded awfully sad,Genesis thought, but he didn’t say that. “Well, I’m certainly glad I made that choice then,” Genesis said.

He paused, an idea forming rapidly. “You know, I haven’t had dinner yet. I was going to get something to eat at home, but now that I think about it I’d much rather get something out. Would you like to join me?” Angeal wouldn’t mind Genesis staying out a little longer. Genesis would just have to message Angeal to let him know where he was.

“I- I would like that very much. Thank you.”

Genesis smiled. “Excellent.”


End file.
